Creating with God: The Holy Confusing Blessedness of Pregnancy

by Sarah Jobe

Creating with God is a boldly truthful, sometimes funny, and deeply spiritual account of where babies come from and where babies take us. Jobe reads the Bible through the lens of her back-to-back pregnancies and finds that God shows up in pregnancy when we least expect it. Weaving together biblical reflection, her own story, and the stories of the moms around her, Jobe reveals the ways in which pregnancy is at the heart of God’s work in the world. She invites her readers to see the image of Jesus in pregnant women, feel God abiding in the work of pregnancy, and to consider the ways that pregnancy can train us in the very practices we need to live a life of faith.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Christian, Parenting

196 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[Carrie Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think if I was having a difficult pregnancy, I would have given this book five stars because I would have been able to relate to everything that she wrote. However, my pregnancy is nothing like hers and I love being pregnant so it was not only hard to relate to a lot of her complaints about
pregnancy, it was also a little bit of a downer. I do not relate to her faith either, and she has quite a bit of cynicism mixed in. That being said, I definitely think this book has value and she does have wit that made me laugh out loud; I appreciated her brutally graphic honesty, and she truly brought many Bible verses into a totally different perspective for me. I found many of her comparisons between Scripture and pregnancy to be thought provoking, but a few felt forced. I think I would recommend this book to women who are having difficult pregnancies and feel themselves slipping into discouragement spiritually because of it.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really enjoyed this book that looks at the ways that pregnancy draws us closer to God--often unexpectedly. Spoke to some of my own pregnancy experiences.

[Missy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! It offered so many insights on how pregnancy is not something to be endured or simply suffered through but how it reflects God's love and character. It's also very honest and funny.

[Jolene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books such as this make my up-and-down faith journey easier to walk. Being a mother 2 times and suffering a miscarriage has taught me more than I could have ever imagined. I don’t often think of all I’ve learned in spiritual terms. Jobe talked about pregnancy with just the right amount of spirituality to not completely turn me away, but gave me a peak into the partnership that many women experience with God through bearing children.
I’m thankful she didn’t shy away from calling out the hypocrisy of those who say pregnancy is the ONLY way women are allowed to experience a connection to God. That lie is (quite literally) deadly and has no place in a world of infertility and those who simply choose not to have children. Her balanced approach was very refreshing!

[Alexandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had me in the beginning, almost lost me in the middle, and won me back in the end. I struggled between rating it 3 and 4 stars. This book, at its best, reads some great symbolisms and parallels for the gospel. At it's worst, it reads like the letter of a teenager begging to tell her side of the story.

I did find a lot of passages that helped me understand the gospel in relation to motherhood and would highly recommend this book to any parent struggling with faith after becoming parents.

[Kathy Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Written in 2022, read in 2015/2017 while pregnant)

This lovely book is an exploration of the embodied work of pregnancy. Through the lens of biblical mothers and stories from Jobe’s own pregnancies and her friends, we get to navigate some of the messiness that comes with the miserable miracle of creating with God.

Would be a perfect gift for a baby shower or a friend who has just shared they are pregnant.

2-3 of the chapters also navigate loss, trauma, and difficulty, and there are sufficient CW in the introduction with grace for skipping them.

[Jessika Caruso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely recommend this book for any Christian pregnant woman. I especially enjoyed the chapter on how the pregnant body teaches us the “logic of the Kingdom of God” (the last shall be first). Some ideas could have been developed more, but I appreciated the shorter length of the book. It was a feasible read that was not too daunting to get through, and filled with nourishing personal stories about the author and her loved ones. I admire her desire for authenticity and the blunt sarcasm paired with the thoughtful spiritual insights.

[Emily Peterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This came at a time in my pregnancy when I was struggling spiritually, I really benefited from and appreciated the way this helped me see pregnancy spiritually. I wasn’t sure about all of the theology, but again, it was good for what I needed. I also appreciated reading someone else naming that pregnancy is hard, difficult, and not always enjoyable.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine, Central patron, July 2018, 5 stars:

This beautiful and funny meditation on pregnancy delves into the significance of pregnancy, in all its mess, to the life of faith, drawing on Scripture, church history and the author’s own pregnancies.

[Rebecca Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish I had read before pregnancy! The author offers helpful signposts to connect pregnancy journey to our walk with God.

[Sarah Winslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one! Not meant to be Catholic theology, but she brought in lots of scripture, and even liturgical and church fathers references. Philosophical enough, but not too much.

[Amy Kannel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably the most encouraging and edifying pregnancy book I've ever read. Funny and honest without cloying sentimentality or cynical negativity. But more importantly, a really compelling exploration of various passages of Scripture and the ways pregnant women uniquely reflect the image of God. I found it really helpful to think about the spiritual wisdom and insights to be gained by observing or experiencing pregnancy. Almost 5 stars.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Christian books that leave you feeling good, and you're having an uncomplicated pregnancy, I recommend this book to you! Jobe ties the struggles of a normal pregnancy to biblical references in a way that made me feel a bit like Wonder Woman!

On the other hand, I'm on my second pregnancy, and someone gave me this book after we announced we were pregnant immediately following a recent stillbirth of our first child. Still struggling with the grief and understanding of our first pregnancy, I found it harder to get in the feel-good mood of this book. It's not that she ignores that bad things can happen, because she had several anecdotes, but our experience just seemed to detract from the overall heart of the book for me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you read this while you are pregnant (I'm not right now), be sure to pay attention to Jobe's advice in the introduction about how chapters 4, 6, and 8 contain stories of loss. I probably would have been ok reading chapters 6 and 8, but chapter 4 is hard to read and even though it is a great chapter, I will have to skip it if re-read this during a future pregnancy. I'm not necessarily planning on being pregnant again, but if I am, I plan on reading this book again. Jobe offers a fascinating look at how pregnancy can bring us closer to God and some perspectives on biblical passages that I have never heard before (Eve saying "I have created a man with God" Gen. 4:1 is just one example).

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Review: Recommended for those looking for spiritual insight into pregnancy (and expectant Dads). This isn't a heavy book, I read it in an afternoon. But it was a good one. Jobe is honest about the ups and downs of pregnancy and childbirth and is seeking out ways that her experience as a mother can speak to her faith and how her Christian faith and reading of scripture can teach her about pregnancy. Well worth reading.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/creating-with-god/

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! The only reason it doesn't get five stars is that Jobe muses more than once on all the diet changes she's made for pregnancy and I just couldn't relate. I haven't really made any diet changes, besides abstaining from alcohol. There were a few points like this throughout the book, in which she seems to make an assumption that every pregnancy is going to have some commonalities, which I haven't experienced.

However, it was, all-round, uplifting, comforting, and thought-provoking.

[Kelly Schnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of so many good reminders that mothers should be acknowledged for their strength and selflessness. And that there are so many ways to see God in the joys and trials of pregnancy. But is she putting pregnant women on too tall a pedestal? Not sure.

[Lydia]

Per Lauren Winner, more about the place of metaphor in the spiritual life:

This book, which argues that pregnant women bear the imagine of God, contains some of the most compelling readings of scripture, from Genesis 4 to John 6, that I have ever encountered.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting little book about ways that pregnant women are like Christ. A quick, easy, fun read.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

She spoke at my parenting group and is so wise and articulate. She is a prison chaplain and I can see her doing tremendous good there.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great ideas and encouragement. Also some different ideas. But overall good, quick read.

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third time reading, still the most amazing book about pregnancy and motherhood [for Christians]!

[Aletheia · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE best book I've read on pregnancy.